Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a new paid subscription service for Facebook and Instagram on Sunday, offering users the coveted blue checkmark for a monthly fee.
The service, called Meta Verified, will cost $11.99 per month on the web and $14.99 per month on iOS. It is set to launch in Australia and New Zealand this week, with plans for a wider rollout in the future.
According to Zuckerberg, the subscription “lets you verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support.”
Zuckerberg emphasized that providing direct access to customer support will incur “a significant amount of money,” which the company aims to cover through subscription revenue.
This new option follows Twitter’s introduction of a revamped version of its own paid service, Twitter Blue, which allows users to obtain a verified profile and other benefits.
Elon Musk launched Twitter Blue shortly after completing his $44 billion acquisition of the company last year. He noted at the time that Twitter was experiencing a “massive drop in revenue” due to an exodus of advertisers from the platform.
Meta has encountered its own challenges over the past year and a half, with the company’s stock down approximately 54% since its peak in September 2021.
The social media giant has laid off about 11,000 employees in recent months, reflecting a broader downturn among major tech companies.
